Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
A prequel expansion set in an alternate-history 1946.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a first-person shooter from MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks, launched on 5 May 2015 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It functions as a standalone prequel expansion to 2014's *Wolfenstein: The New Order*, taking place in an alternate-history 1946. The single-player campaign follows war veteran William "B.J." Blazkowicz as he tries to find the locations of a Nazi compound. Development started in 2014, shortly after *The New Order* came out.
Players see the action from a first-person perspective and move through levels on foot. The story splits into chapters that must be completed in order, arranged across two connected campaigns. A variety of weapons are available, including pistols, shotguns, and explosives, and most can be dual-wielded. A cover system lets players lean in and out of cover, rather than locking into it. The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the intense firefights, interesting locations, and the mix of stealth and action, though the story drew criticism.
The gameplay stays close to *The New Order*. It is an action-adventure shooter played from the first-person view. To advance the story, players fight enemies while navigating levels. Health and armor are split into sections that regenerate, but if a whole section is lost, players must find health packs or armor pieces to restore it. Melee attacks, firearms, and explosives are used against enemies, and players can run, jump, and occasionally swim. Silent melee takedowns allow stealthy eliminations, or players can trigger firefights by ambushing enemies. Enemy types include standard Nazi soldiers of varying strength, robot-like Supersoldaten, giant mechanical dogs called Panzerhunds, zombie-like Nazi soldiers and civilians known as Shamblers, and vicious dogs.
A cover system helps in combat, letting players lean around, over, and under cover for tactical advantage during shootouts and stealth sections. The weapon inventory lets players carry as many weapons as they find, and some can be dual-wielded for double damage. New weapons not in *The New Order* include a steel pipe. This pipe can be used as two small pipes for melee attacks and climbing rock walls, or connected into a larger pipe for breaking weak surfaces and different melee animations.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
- Developer
- MachineGames
- Publisher
- Bethesda Softworks
- Director
- Jonathan Heckley
- Producer
- John Jennings · Lars Johansson
- Designer
- Jerk Gustafsson · Jonathan Heckley · Arcade Berg
- Programmer
- Anton Ragnarsson · Markus Buretorp
- Artist
- Axel Torvenius · Tor Frick
- Writer
- Tommy Tordsson Björk · Jerk Gustafsson · Jonathan Heckley
- Composer
- Mick Gordon
- Engine
- id Tech 5
- Series
- Wolfenstein
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood changes little from the basic gameplay of The New Order. It is an action-adventure shooter played from a first-person perspective, where players take on enemies while navigating levels. The health system divides health and armor into separate sections that regenerate; lost sections require health packs or body armor. Players use melee attacks, firearms, and explosives, and may run, jump, and occasionally swim. A cover system allows leaning around, over, and under cover. Players can dual wield many weapons, and the game adds a steel pipe that can be used as two small pipes for climbing rock walls or connected into a larger pipe to break weak surfaces.
Reader's Guide
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood received generally positive reviews. Critics praised the intense firefights, intriguing locations, and the balance between stealth and action, but criticized the story. The game features two interconnected campaigns, with levels navigated on foot and chapters completed in order. Enemy types include standard Nazi soldiers, Supersoldaten, Panzerhunds, Shamblers (zombie-like soldiers and civilians), and vicious dogs. Players can complete Perks that encourage changing play style, such as collecting helmets or getting silent kills, unlocking bonuses like more health or ammunition. Other modes include Challenge Arenas, where players fight waves of enemies for medals, and Nightmare Levels, accessed via hidden beds, which recreate levels from Wolfenstein 3D. The plot follows B.J. Blazkowicz infiltrating Castle Wolfenstein to obtain a folder containing the location of Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse, leading to encounters with Nazi archeologist Helga von Schabbs and her lieutenant Rudi Jäger, and eventually a zombie-creating gas released from an ancient vault.
Did You Know?
- The game is a stand-alone title and a prequel expansion to Wolfenstein: The New Order.
- Development began in 2014, soon after the release of The New Order.
- Nightmare Levels are accessed by finding and interacting with a bed hidden in each chapter.
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